Inner Demons
by demonicange1
Summary: Naruto isn't the only one with a demon sealed inside, now Sasuke has one, too. SASUNARU
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

Sasuke hated fighting demons about as much as he hated Orochimaru and Itatchi. Thankfully, those two were dead- with the help of Naruto. Unfortunately, the wolf demon in front of him was alive and kicking.

'Dammit,' he swore as his feet once again slipped on the muddy grass. He hissed in pain as the demon took the opportunity to grab his shoulder in fierce, bloody jaws. 'If Naruto were here, this wouldn't be as much of a problem.

Yes, the Uchiha had reluctantly agreed that he needed Naruto after the boy had helped him eliminate his two greatest enemies. Of course, Sasuke had never told him as much. 'But now,' he reflected, driving a spare kunai through the demon's shoulder, 'isn't the time to be thinking of him.

He cursed once more as he finally realized he could not beat this creature. Its regeneration skills were too fast.

He nodded decidedly. He would have to use _that_ technique. It was much like what the fourth had used to seal the demon inside Naruto, except it was modified to make the user the vessel. He grimaced as he realized these consequences, but it was his last chance. It was either this, or death.

He quickly formed the hand seals. He had already prepared a written seal on a scroll that, with a lot of chakra applied, would seal the demon into his body. Hopefully.

He unveiled the scroll, wetting with his blood and chakra to activate it. The seal lit up and disappeared with a flash to appear around the lunging demon, sucking him in. The demon emitted one final shriek before it was absorbed into the seal; which spiraled before burying itself into Sasuke's stomach.

His yell mixed with the demon's shriek and he fell into a disturbed, fitful darkness, the wolf's glowing eyes the only source of light in his darkened mind.

Author's notes:

HEY!!!!! Sorry this prologue is sooooo short, but hey, it's a prologue. The chapters will be MUCH longer, and will be updated as soon as I find the will to type them. (I REALLY suck at typing, by the way.) Soooo…. REVIEW!!!! (please?) You can flame me if you want, I can take it! THANKS FOR READING!!!!!!


	2. Oh, God, Not Again

Author's Note: **(DO NOT SKIP!!!!!!!)**

This fic. Takes place AFTER Sasuke returns from Orochimaru, though I have no idea how that works out. In my fic., Sasuke killed Itachi and then after that decided he didn't like the idea of giving his body to Orochimaru and killed him, too…. I used this before, but, hey, whatever. Naruto convinced Tsunade to tell everyone he was just a spy. Oh, and the curse seal disappeared when he killed Orochimaru. Sorry, I'm just too lazy to explain all this fully in my fic….

Audience: SHUT UP AND START THE FIC!!!!!

Me: err…. Sorry.

**Oh, God, Not Again.**

-Sasuke's POV-

I groaned as consciousness returned to my battered body. My head was pounding and my stomach was definitely trying to choke up my last meal. The odd thing was, none of the assorted cuts and bruises I had received hurt in the slightest. I decided to investigate, but first that required actually opening my eyes. They felt like lead.

I pried and struggled them open one at a time. Wincing as the light struck my eyes. I glanced around slowly and recognized my surroundings instantly. It was the cabin that Naruto, Sakura, and I were staying in for this mission. I was lying on the only bed in the cramped space. 'When did I come here,' I wondered groggily.

The door creaked open slightly and I tried to rise, just in case I needed to defend myself. It wasn't working and I knew I was a dead man if it was really an attacker. I didn't even have enough chakra left to sense who the person was.

"Sasuke! You're awake!" the soft voice was Sakura's and I almost sighed with relief as I recognized it. I didn't reply. "It's so good to see you up. You've been unconscious for days, but I couldn't find anything wrong with you. I healed the open wounds, but besides that, I couldn't wake you up." That made sense. She walked over to me and for the first time, I noticed she was carrying a tray of food. My stomach decided to make itself present at that moment and Sakura giggled at my expense. I sent her a half-hearted death glare. It didn't affect her; after all, she was Tsunade's student.

"Oh, and Naruto's…"

"Sasuke-teme! You're awake!" Naruto burst through the door dramatically. "I could sense your chakra a mile away…" suddenly, he seemed worried.

"Hey Sakura," he ventured, "Could you leave us alone for a minute?" She smiled indulgently. I inwardly rolled my eyes. I think she suspects that something is going on between Naruto and me because he is the only one I trust completely. Ha! Like that could ever happen…

She left with a knowing look, saying something about guard duty. I finally succeeded in sitting up, waiting for Naruto's boast about my lack of strength, but, when I looked at him, his face was uncharacteristically serious.

Without explanation, he reached forward, grabbing at the hem of my shirt.

"Hey! What are you-" I yelled, slapping his hands away. I must have been blushing, though why that was I couldn't fathom. His hands didn't move away.

"Shut up, Sasuke." The way he said it shut me up instantly. It was stern, commanding, and angry, but I detected an undertone of fear. I was puzzled to say the least. Naruto didn't usually do this when I was badly hurt. He usually made sure I was okay then told me exactly what skills I lacked that would have made the job so easy for him. This time, his eyes were serious and his movements professional.

'It's like when we're on an ANBU mission. (A/N: yes, they are both ANBU now.) They both got serious and unfeeling on those missions as they frequently involved assassinations.

By the time I was through processing this, his hands had pushed up my black shirt, revealing the mark underneath. He grimaced and traced a couple of the lines with a sure finger.

"I thought so," he mumbled. "I felt the change in your chakra almost instantly. You've never done this before, have you?"

I shook my head. This sealing had been mostly theory and mixing techniques my sharingan had picked up.

Naruto sighed wearily, done with his examination. He pulled back his own shirt to reveal the Kyuubi seal. "You're missing a line, baka," he said. I froze, almost panicking; a missed line was all it took for the seal to fail.

"Luckily, it wasn't a very big one and it can probably be corrected.

"So… can you fix it?"

He shook his head. "I'm skilled Sasuke, but because my charka is in sync with Kyuubi's I can't mess with permanent demon seals. I can barely do restraining jutsus on the damn things."

I took this in slowly. "What will happen if the seal isn't fixed immediately?"

"Oh, not _that_ much," Naruto assured me with a slight smile. It was a bit strained. "That part just keeps the demon charka at bay-"

"So that means I can use his charka?"

"No…" Naruto's reply was hesitant, and he paused uncertainly. "I dunno really how to explain it, but its charka isn't really mixed with yours or usable… it's just… wrapped around yours." I tried to grasp this concept weakly, though I kept my outward composure perfect.

"So what's the problem with that?"

Naruto hesitated again. His hesitation made me antsy. It was like being a patient waiting to be told that you had some awful, incurable disease.

"Well, you won't be able to keep it out of your head-"

I cut him off, my voice rising slightly. "It's in my mind? What the hell are you talking about?" he didn't answer right away. His eyes were vacant, and suddenly I realized what he was doing. He was talking to Kyuubi. Somewhere along the line, those two had become friends. Well, more like Kyuubi saw Naruto as its pup.

His eyes snapped back into focus. "You might hear his voice sometimes if he tries to talk to you… Also, Kyuubi says your demon's name is Rokubi no Okami." **(1)**

"So…" I said slowly, "I'll hear voices until I get the seal fixed.

He nodded and then his face adopted a reproachful, hurt expression. "But, Sasuke, why didn't you ask me for help before using it? You know I am pretty much an expert at demon sealing."

I looked away ruefully. "I never thought I would have to use it," I admitted.

"**So, human…**" a voice floated unpleasantly through the air. I looked around in surprise. The only ones here were Naruto, Sakura, and I. Naruto hadn't reacted to the voice, like he couldn't hear it.

"**Don't be alarmed. It's just me. And, no, don't blame me for this, it was your entire fault that you had to be all gallant and seal me. I mean, really, I was only going to disembowel _you_. That village you were supposedly protecting really wouldn't have been that filling anyways, and-**"

"Shut up!" Naruto jumped at my yell and I automatically clutched at my skull. He looked concerned before a dawning look of understanding spread across his face.

"What did he say?" He looked interested, so I summarized for him. He thought it over and looked me strait in the eyes. "Sasuke, I want you to relax, ok?" I didn't even have time to nod when I felt something probing at my mind. It was like a hand digging through my jumbled thoughts. I broke eye contact with a startled yell. I tried to get up, my ninja training telling me to run, but Naruto grabbed me and shoved me back to the bed.

"Sasuke! Calm down!" he yelled directly to my face. I looked up at him silently and he began to smooth my mussed bangs away from my forehead in a very soothing way. "Calm down, teme," he whispered, "I'm just going to talk to it and I can't do that without going into your mind with Kyuubi." Seeing my uncertainty, he added "trust me" as an afterthought.

I nodded and tried my best to relax as the thing, now known to be Naruto, pawed at my consciousness once more. I blinked and was suddenly standing next to a large, gilded cage containing what I assumed to be the demon I just sealed. I gapped at it, my emotionless mask completely shattered at this odd turn of events.

"**His cage is prettier than mine was, kit,**" I heard. I looked over to see Naruto standing there with the Kyuubi hovering protectively over him. Naruto chuckled.

""Well, I'm nicer than Sasuke, so there!" He had the audacity to stick his tongue out at the legendary fox demon before turning to Rokubi. They regarded each other gravely for a minute before Naruto gave his trademark grin, though it looked quite forced.

"Hello," he began, "Welcome to your new host!" he pointed to me. "This is Uchiha Sasuke; you live in him now and no longer have a physical body. I'm sure he will take great care of you, so try not to speak into his head to much or he'll get mad." The demon seemed to snicker at this pleasantry, but stopped the instant Kyuubi growled.

"**Oh, and Rokubi**," Kyuubi put in with a foxy grin, "**If you try to take over his body, I may have to kill you both to protect Naruto. Just keep that in mind**." The fox's evil grin widened, fully showing his sharp canines.

I glanced at Naruto. He wasn't smiling anymore. "He can take over my body?" I asked lowly. He idly glanced at me.

"Yeah, but only when you get emotional, and, since you're an emotionless rock, I don't suppose you'll have problems with that. Oh, and also, don't be surprised if the demon knows all your thoughts and feelings. Since you missed that line, his charka is wrapped around yours which slightly alters or grows depending on your emotion." He finally smiled again. "Don't let him get to you too much."

I felt like I was going to be sick. This demon would know all my thoughts? I glanced back at it and the wolf grinned eerily at me.

"**You know**," the demon said, "**You should just tell him how you feel. It's not healthy to keep it in like that.**" I stared at him with a blank expression. He was obviously talking about Naruto, but I hadn't figured out what I fully felt for the blonde dobe yet, and I would be damned if I let this wolf demon tell him anything before I figured it out.

"What are you blabbing about? I said crossly, covering any emotion behind a mask of contempt. Before the wolf could answer, Kyuubi cut in.

**"We should go, kit, or do you really want to pry on the inner workings of Sasuke's mind?" **

"You have a point, Kyuu… that wouldn't be nice to teme. Even if he does trust me I don't want to snoop into what he doesn't want me to know." I was astonished by his consideration. He usually wouldn't do that; for all I knew he wanted to see my thoughts.

I took one last look at Rokubi no Okami before I blinked and was once again staring into Naruto's azure eyes. He leaned back and sighed. I sat up stiffly and lifted an eyebrow at the odd look he was throwing me. "What did he mean by that, teme?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I don't really know," I lied quickly. I didn't want to even think about that with a demon listening in.

Naruto ran a hand through his unruly golden spikes before looking strait into my eyes again. "Don't tell anyone but me and Sakura about the demon. You don't want them to know, trust me, it's not pleasant. Oh… but tell Tsunade-bachan. As the Hokage, she will have to know." He lapsed into silence.

After a couple minutes, he stood up slowly and went out the door, mumbling something about relieving Sakura from guard duty. "G'night, Sasuke," he said, before shutting the door.

TO BE CONTINUED

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YAY!!! IT'S DONE!!!! Well, actually it was done a long time ago, but I REALLY suck at typing, so it was all written out by hand… hehe… so DON'T LOSE HOPE!!!!! The entire story is already written, but I have to type it and I am THE SLOWEST typer in existence.

On the other hand, I hoped you enjoyed this MUCH LONGER chapter even though much didn't happen between Sasuke and Naruto. Sorry, more will happen later. As for reviews, lovely encouragement is appreciated, but flames are also pretty much welcome…

(1)- "Rokubi no Okami" means "six-tailed wolf". (think Kyuubi no kitsune)


	3. Home Again

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto… cries in anguish

**-CHAPTER 5- Home Again**

When we reached Konoha the next day, no one could tell anything was wrong with any of us. Sakura was lecturing Naruto as per usual and he was smiling like an idiot as always. I suppose my brooding is normal as well, but my brooding subject this time was a bit different from usual.

All the way back to Konoha, I had to resist and otherwise ignore mad urges to attack passing travelers. Each time we passed someone; Naruto would grab hold of my hand and put himself between me and the innocent bystander. The gesture would have been comforting if I didn't know that it was just to protect everyone around me.

We walked up to the entrance gate of Konoha and immediately the urges started up again at the sight of Neji patrolling the border. Naruto grabbed my hand again and led me to the gate where we were allowed in immediately.

"**Oh! You're from ****this**** huge buffet table? Hmm… Can't you kill and eat just one? A small child perhaps, or-**" I cut the voice off by slamming my forehead into Naruto's shoulder. He started but I just felt him glance at me as my eyes slid shut with concentration. My hands twitched badly at the need to kill.

"Naruto," I panted a bit desperately. He cocked his head to the side in an effort to see my face. "Take me to Tsunade-san! Hurry." He nodded and to my surprise, bundled me onto his back. I wasn't in any state to protest, so I just leaned into his back as he nodded to Sakura and they sped up. Naruto outdistanced Sakura easily so that we would go unnoticed to the untrained eye.

We reached the Hokage Tower and Naruto dropped me unceremoniously to the ground. (Not very gently, I might add) I growled lowly but picked myself up anyways. He approached an ANBU guard and spoke to him in lowered tones. The ANBU nodded briskly and opened the door to us.

I followed Naruto who, in accordance to how we usually behaved in the Hokage Tower, didn't even glance at me.

I got to the Hokage's office without too much intervention on Naruto's part. (Though there was one tense moment when we ran into Hinata-san.) Naruto once more clasped my hand and burst into Tsunade-san's office.

"Yo! Tsunade-Baba!"

"Shut it, brat!" snapped Tsunade back. She glanced up sharply from her paper and froze. I followed her wide gaze to our joined hands. Naruto made a confused noise as the Hokage stared until he noticed where she was looking.

"Ah," he said with a hand behind his head in embarrassment. "There is a good reason for this." She just crossed her arms under her chest and waited expectantly. "Show her, Sasuke."

I reluctantly pulled up my shirt to reveal the intricate black mark on my stomach. Her reaction was a bit disappointing: one raised eyebrow and a sigh. I let Naruto explain as I squeezed his hand in extra support against the demon. It had gone haywire the moment I had set eyes on Tsunade-san and was howling something about slugs and food deprivation. Apparently they had met before.

"Tsunade-sama," I said as politely as I could in a striated voice, "The demon and you have apparently previously fought and I am unsure as to how long I will be able to hold him. So, with all due respect, may I go now?" My voice was quickening with a rush to leave, and I gripped Naruto's hand tighter. He winced slightly, but I still felt a responsive squeeze.

Tsunade thought a moment and I couldn't help but wish that she would hurry it up already. "Kakashi is on a mission right now, but he can fix you once he gets back. In the meantime, you can go, but stay with Naruto at all times. Oh, and no missions until you fix the seal."

"Obviously," I growled automatically, my never-ending patience wearing thin. I tried to focus all my thoughts on staying calm. Naruto shifted next to me slightly and I could tell he was worried as I glanced into his bright blue eyes. They looked absolutely serious for once and returned my grip tightly.

"Sasuke," he said, interrupting my thoughts. "Are you sure you're in control?" I grimaced but nodded. I was in control; it had given up trying to get through my defenses, but now it was just clanking its claws on the bars of its cage. What a headache. Literally.

"Damn, this bastard's annoying," I moaned quietly for Naruto's ears only. He smiled wryly at me and I leaned into him slightly and ground my head into his shoulder in an attempt to smother the noise. It wouldn't work, but it made me feel a bit better when he put a supporting hand on my shoulder. I didn't even noticed how much I was leaning on him until the demon started cackling.

"**Why don't you tell him?" **the demon questioned with an obvious smirk. I ignored him as I had no intention of even admitting that to myself yet, but I still leaned back a little.

"Naruto, take Uchiha to his family estates and stay there with him until Kakashi gets back. It should be about a week, if that. Do not leave his side for anything. If he does lose control, send a clone for backup and subdue the demon as much as possible."

Naruto bowed like a proper shinobi receiving orders which dislodged me from his shoulder. I inwardly sighed but backed off just a bit more to give him space. He started the hand signs for a teleportation jutsu but Tsunade-san spoke once more.

"And Naruto, I don't need to remind you, but the village's safety takes priority over Sasuke's life, understand?" My blood ran cold at that short statement. Hokage-sama had just given the okay for Naruto to kill me. And he would most likely obey if necessary.

I glanced at my best friend, noticing the subtle change in his posture. His shoulders tensed and his eyes hardened. He nodded stiffly once, and a ball of dread wedged itself inside my gut. I knew that look. The determination in his clear, blue eyes told me quite clearly that he would not hesitate to protect his village. I don't really know why, but that knowledge made me ache; a different type from the cold dread. His face did not show the slightest bit of humor; his eyes going from warm, summer sky to icy, hard crystals.

"I'm sure Sasuke will be fine, Tsunade-baba," He said easily despite his rigid form. He completed the signs and we were transported neatly.

We landed perfectly in the center of the main courtyard in front of the main house where I stayed in the Uchiha district. The demon had, after mocking my hurt, decided to sleep since there was no one around to kill. I dropped Naruto's hand immediately. He was still really tense and he wasn't smiling a bit. It made me uncomfortable. Instead, he grimly walked up to my house and let himself in with a key I had given him months ago. He had bugged me into giving it to him.

"N-Naruto…" I found myself speaking but wasn't really sure what I was going to say. He turned back: still no smile. "uh-" I stopped talking and took a deep breath. Uchihas were not supposed to stutter.

"Did you really mean that?"

He didn't look surprised at the question and answered without hesitation. "Absolutly." I wasn't so shocked this time but the cold hurt and dread doubled all the same. I followed him inside without another word.

I felt awkward. I hadn't felt like this since just after we killed Itachi and Orochimaru: a feeling of not knowing what to say to my best friend/ rival of all people. Naruto hadn't said anything to me then either.

"Now what do we do? My voice was oddly timid. I didn't like that. I was supposed to be strong and sure no matter what, but I suppose having a demon sealed inside you and your best friend prepared to kill you can rattle anyone. I watched Naruto walk into my living room and put two pillows on the floor facing each other. I raised a questioning eyebrow but chose not to comment.

"We're going to work on your mental barriers." I stared at him. Mental barriers? Since when did Naruto have those? I suppose for the Kyuubi…

"I already have them," I countered nervously. This new calm and steady Naruto was starting to unnerve me slightly. I guess it was because I was feeling so shaky.

"Yeah, but not nearly enough of them to keep that demon away from your memories." I stared in something akin to horror

"That thing can see my memories?" I choked. Like hell I would want a bloodsucking, wolf tainting what little good memories I still had.

"Of course," he scowled, and looked angry all of a sudden. "What? Did you think there wouldn't be any repercussions to sealing a demon inside yourself?"

"B-But this is because of the missing line, right? When I fix it-"

No," Naruto cut me off. He glared even harder and I could see his unbearably tense form tighten even more. "The only difference the line makes is that he won't have a free access of communication with it. With the correct seal and mental capabilities of an aware vessel, the demon would feel everything you do but not talk to you at all, and he wouldn't be able to take over your body unless fueled by very extreme emotion. The demon will always have free reign of your memories unless you have the right barriers in place." He was still glowering when he finished explaining. I wondered distantly why he was so mad. It's not like any of this would affect him.

Damn, that timid feeling still had a hold over me and I looked down carefully as I whispered "why are you so… mad at me?" I looked up at him through the curtain of my bangs. His shoulders sagged a little in apparent defeat. His gaze flickered away from me and he effectively hid his expression from my view.

We stood in silence for what seemed like forever but was only a few minutes. His voice was barely a whisper as he spoke. "Why couldn't I prevent this?" I could hear the bitter edge to his tone. It was full of pain and anger. Anger at what, I couldn't tell.

"You couldn't have. I did it myself when you weren't there."

"I should have been there. We should have stuck together instead of splitting up to fight the demon-"

"Naruto, we didn't know if it was a demon or not. All we had was a report of a wild wolf attacking villagers."

"Still, I… Sasuke, I don't want you to experience what I have felt my whole life. People hate me as if I'm the Kyuubi itself. They could see you the same way." He looked me his eyes blazing, "I don't want that to happen to you!"

I took my time processing this while I gazed into his bright eyes. I sighed and looked him squarely in the eyes. "What do I need to do?"

**NARUSASU NARUSASU SASUNARU SASUNARU**

For the rest of the evening, he led me through various philosophical meditations involving doors and chains. It struck me as odd; I had never pinned the dobe as a meditative type. However, it was working if the amount of snarling from Rokubi was anything to go by.

I only noticed how late it was when Naruto mentioned we should go to bed. I nodded and got up. I winced as stiff muscled protested.

"You can sleep in the guestroom like you normally do," I said and stifled a yawn. I was confused when he shook his head with a small smile; the first I had seen in several hours.

"Sasuke, Tsunade said to stick with you at all times. That includes when you sleep. I'll sleep in your bed with you and Kyuubi can wake me up if your demon starts to go haywire since Kyuubi doesn't technically need sleep." That got me awake. Even though he said it professionally enough, I still felt heat rise on my face. Sleeping in the same bed with Naruto? Sure we slept really close during missions, but this was different.

I was still in a hopeless state of mental shock when Naruto grabbed my hand and began to drag me towards my room. I didn't protest: I don't think my voice would have gotten past stuttering, so I didn't try.

We reached my bed, and Naruto dropped my hand and walked over to the bed. He say down and whipped off his jacket and undershirt so that he sat only in his bright pants. He crawled to the center of my bed and stopped when he noticed I hadn't moved.

"What's the matter, Sasuke?" He gave me an innocent, wide-eyes look.

"Y-You… I…erm…in bed?" I was just muttering nonsense and I knew it. Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion. Instead of continuing to make a fool of myself, I tore my eyes away from his very bare torso and walked to my dresser as calmly as I could given the situation.

'Naruto simply needs to make sure I don't lose control. Nothing else… wait, what else am I thinking he would do?' I found myself panicking a bit at my own thoughts.

"**Oh, you know what you want him to mean… or do**," growled the now familiar voice. I made a vain attempt to ignore him, but he sent me a few not so ignorable mental images. Images of what Naruto could be doing. I felt myself blush and I stuttered stupidly.

"Sasuke?" I heard Naruto inquire haltingly.

'Bad thought!' I screamed internally, trying to force the rather enticing pictures out of my head. I growled something like a reply over my shoulder to Naruto and busied myself with stripping off my clothes and changing into black silk pajamas.

"**You know you want it, boy**," Rokubi said with a perverted chuckle.

'Shut it, pervert,' I growled to the wolf demon. I felt it grin but for once he complied. I turned to Naruto and mentally steeled myself to climb into my own bed beside him. It wasn't exactly comforting that he looked pretty good stretched out on my king-sized bed. I hesitated but eventually climbed in, but I stayed as far away from Naruto as possible.

"S-So are you sure Kyuubi will tell you if Rokubi takes over?"

"Absolutly. Kyuubi is completely reliable." I nodded and tried to ignore the way the bed shifted as he leaned over to turn out the bedside lamp.

For a while I listened to Naruto shift around trying desperately to relax. Finally, his breathing evened and I could tell he had fallen asleep. It was comforting to know that Naruto would be there to help. Well, it would have been if the demon weren't constantly being a pervert about it.

As I felt sleep overtake me I was surprised slightly that I was feeling very relaxed. I shifted back and warmth met me there. I sighed and turned over into the warm spot. It shifted but my mind was fogged with sleep so I ignored it and just relished the warm. With a last thought of how relaxing it was to sleep tonight, I fell deeply into a peaceful sleep.

**Author's Notes:**

Thank you ever so much for sticking with me while I took my own sweet time in typing this. I SWEAR I will be more prompt with the next chapter! bows and scrapes

Well, despite that, I do hope you will give me nice reviews as that will motivate my fingers to type further. HAVE A NICE DAY!!!!


	4. Cat's out of the Bag

**Author's Note: **Ok, just quickly, WARNING: Sasuke goes a little OOC in this chapter… actually so does Naruto, but to make it work, it had to be that way. SORRY! Please continue, however! Oh, and a disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did I would be the happiest slobbering fangirl on the face of the planet earth… or wherever I come from… ENJOY!!!!!

**-NARUSASU-SASUNARU-NARUSASU-SASUNARU-NARUSASU-**

**Chapter 3- Cat's out of the Bag**

When I first woke up, all my mind would register was warmth and comfort. I sighed happily and snuggled deeper into the warmth. It wrapped around me tighter, more cozily. I was contented with this until my half-awake mind remembered that warm blankets weren't supposed to grip you tighter.

My brain instantly snapped to alert and my eyes shot open. I was staring at an expanse of tanned chest: the thing I had snuggled into. Quickly, I took stock of my situation; like good ninjas should.

I was pressed firmly and was burying my face into the chest of one Uzumaki Naruto. His arms were around my waist and his cheek rested on top of my head. His legs were comfortably tangled with mine. The conclusion I came up with was as follows: I was cuddling in bed with my best friend and rival.

With a feeling akin to horror, I looked up into Naruto's sleeping face. It was a struggle not to squeal like a girl and jump off the bed. Uchihas did _not _squeal. With my heart beating a tattoo on my chest, I opted for trying to slip out of his arms without waking him. He frowned and pulled me even closer. I blushed a deep crimson as his eyes fluttered open and he blinked down at me in surprise.

"Sasuke?" he asked. I shivered slightly. His voice was deep and husky with sleep.

"Y-yes?" I squeaked. He let me go and sat up quickly. I just laid there in mild shock once more. I shifted my gaze to him and blushed even more to see him grinning down at me.

"You're cuddlier than I would have expected," he said lightly. If possible, my blush increased.

"Sh-shut up, dobe." He just grinned back amiably.

"Well, I slept well!" Naruto sighed, stretching luxuriously. I tried not to stare at his bare chest _too_ hard as he did this. I sat up shakily and he practically bounced out of bed.

"**Oh, great**," Rokubi muttered lowly. "**My vessel is worse than I thought. How dare you- you **_**cuddle**_** when you are harboring me inside of you!**" I skillfully tuned out his incessant muttering. After all, I had Naruto as a best friend: the loudest ninja in Konoha. I got up slowly and got dressed in that same manner, then, I followed Naruto out of my room and through to the kitchen.

He was standing at my counter still just in his orange pants. Instant ramen noodles were disappearing at an inhuman speed as he slurped them from an instant ramen cup that he had snuck into my house weeks ago. Even now that we were older, he still had the most deranged eating habits. He eventually looked up at me only after crumpling up the Styrofoam cup and tossing it into the garbage.

"Hey, Sasuke, I think we should spar." I looked at him in surprise.

""What if I lose control?"

"I'll try to put up a charka shield that Jiraiya taught me. Also, I'll cut down on the taunts so as not to make you angry," he said, his smile still in place. I nodded.

"This is worse than that damn curse mark," I muttered. I nervously reached back to feel the scar that was the remnants of the accursed mark. It had disappeared shortly after I had killed Orochimaru.

"Much worse," agreed Naruto, eyes serious once more. Then he smirked. "You're not bad anymore, Kyu." I don't think I was supposed to hear that, but for once Naruto had spoken to Kyuubi out loud instead of in his head. "Well, ya up for a spar?" I nodded again.

"**This could be interesting**," commented Rokubi with his now-familiar perverted chuckle. He sent me an image of Naruto, panting and sweaty, straddling me on the ground to the forefront of my mind. I jumped in surprise and smacked a hand none-too-gently to my face in an attempt to force it- and my blush- away. Naruto raised his eyebrows at me, but didn't comment as he pulled on a dark blue shirt he had apparently stolen from my room.

'I hate it when you do that,' I said rather calmly to the demon.

"**Hehe. Then I must remember to do it more often**."

To Naruto, I grunted an affirmative noise and we headed to the training field at the center of the Uchiha estates. I kept my eyes focused on the ground and not on Naruto so that Rokubi wouldn't be inspired to give me more mental pictures.

We arrived at the immaculate field (it was the only thing besides the main house that I kept in tip-top condition) and Naruto turned to me. He took a defensive stance and that challenging smile spread across his whiskered face. I took my stance as well, though it was a bit different because of our difference in teachers. However, our guards were equally flawless. We stared long and hard at each other; neither of us wanting to be the first to attack. He ended up taking off first; his patience was still miles behind mine, but it wasn't in his old, charging way. The gliding rush of his attack befitted the ANBU position we had both received. I felt the demon squirm with excitement at the thought of getting to fight- and possibly kill- a strong opponent.

We clashed briefly, weapons and taijutsu merely a flurry of light, before we shot away. I turned sharply in mid-air and threw a couple of sharp kunai to set him off balance. He dodged easily, but he wasn't quite prepared for my kick to the side that followed. He grunted softly, giving very little indication it hurt even though I knew that it had. He struck my shoulder hard in retaliation and we broke apart once more.

We were barely even breathing hard this early into the fight, but I felt the adrenaline course through my body all the same. It was always great to spar with Naruto since his power nearly equaled mine. But I felt another force struggling in my body, half-hidden by the adrenaline.

I realized belatedly that it was in fact Rokubi no Okami. It was struggling to break free, but I shoved that thought aside. If I could keep a curse mark at bay through sheer willpower alone, I should be able to hold back a demon.

Naruto apparently noticed my distraction. "Sasuke, are you in control?" he said haltingly, looking unsure for the slightest of seconds. I shut my eyes briefly, told Rokubi to shut up, and then nodded.

Naruto returned my nod, obviously trusting me to know my limits, and then lunged again. I felt something big jolt inside of me and I froze in horrified panic. "**Why, Sasuke**," Rokubi sighed evilly, "**do you insist on being so cruel to me?**" I felt him start to overwhelm my senses like I was drowning. His energy was so powerful and I could feel blackness and evil laughter eating at my vision. I couldn't do anything against him and my perspective shifted inward.

I was falling through an inky, foggy blackness before I was deposited roughly into a dark, empty space. I glance around in all directions: nothing but fog. I took a moment to examine my own body mentally for damage, but besides the ridged cold seeping through my skin, I was fine.

There was a solid sort of cloud in front of my face. I looked up from my position on the floor and I could see Naruto, as clear as if he was standing right in front of me, lunging. It was like looking through a warped T.V. from the point of view of my own eyes. My study of the cloud halted as I watched in horror as my own arm shot up at inhuman speed and grasped Naruto around the throat. I watched in a sort of helpless, frozen daze as my best friend eyes widened and then narrowed in sudden fury. His voice floated around me softly, not completely in time with the movement of his lips.

"Damn your pride, Uchiha."

-

**(A/N: For interest's sake, we will be switching to Naruto's point of view briefly. Sorry, Sasuke, but you're not doing much.)**

-

Sasuke's hand whipped around and closed around my throat. I was surprised to say the very least when my air supply was cut off. He was not only choking me for real, but he had moved at a speed that I thought only Kyuubi was possible of.

Then I looked down into his eyes. Instead of deep black or even the red Sharingan, they were yellow, wide and crazed. A maniacal grin accompanied the strange eyes. I knew instantly what had happened: he had lost control. Damn it! Right after he had said he was all right!

"Damn your pride, Uchiha," I growled. I knew he couldn't handle a demon at high emotion no matter how powerful he was. Why hadn't I stopped the fight when I noticed his distraction? Sasuke would never get distracted during a fight.

I was gasping futilely for air at this point and knew that if I didn't do something the damn thing would end up choking me to death. We'll see about that!

I growled lowly as the pain shot through me. I was losing control over my body as the lack of oxygen started to get to me. I reached down to the kunai holster that was just in reach of my ever-weakening fingers.

I grabbed one and brought it up as swiftly as I was able to jab into the Uchiha's arm. It wasn't a very skilled or precise move, more just to cause pain, but it worked. The demon howled in pain and pulled away from me. My legs wouldn't quite keep me up and I crumpled to the ground. I kept an eye on the demon backing away from me, obviously more cautious now. I rolled over quickly and picked myself up. Silently, I sent out a pulse of chakra to activate the protective shields that I knew were on the premises. They were originally to keep intruders out, but they worked both ways.

He ripped the kunai out of his forearm, and I winced at the sight of the blood- Sasuke's blood- pour from the wound. I shouldn't have worried, however, because the wound healed in almost an instant.

"Give Sasuke his body, Rokubi no Okami," I ordered between gritted teeth. I watched as an insane smile widened Sasuke's features. The yellow eyes widened and he threw his head back to release a burst of wild, high-pitched laughter. It didn't suit the Uchiha one bit.

"**Give it back?**" he repeated mockingly, still chuckling. "**You cannot even imagine how good it is to be free of this brat.**"

"That is not your body," I spat back. That only made him scowl before changing abruptly to a dark… seductive grin.

"**No, it's not. However, I could indulge in the quiet fantasies of this body's owner.**" He was leering at me. I shivered at the heat and the amusement in the wolf's gaze.

All at once, he coiled and sprang. The speed alone would have been enough to throw me, but Kyuubi offered his chakra just in time to deflect most of the blow. I was still knocked solidly off of my feet and sent sailing into a tree. I held back a yell of pain that would only encourage the damn thing. I could feel a couple of my ribs lace themselves back together where they had broken.

I had no time to rest. Rokubi was coming back to deal out more, and he struck hard and fast; his movements the destructive power that no ninja could ever hope to achieve. I was having a hard time just dodging let alone attacking back. His fist struck me hard across the face and I stumbled back. He charged directly into me; throwing me to the ground where he followed and pinned me bodily.

I felt his breath fan across my face as he let out another deep chuckle. It was husky and lusty and sent shivers down my spine. I shut my eyes tightly, reminding myself that this was _not_ Sasuke.

He had my wrists pinned beside my head and I felt his face lower to near my ear. He licked the rim of my ear slowly and deliberately. I felt goose bumps rise on my neck, and he blew a warm breath over the licked ear.

"**Sasuke wishes he could do this,**" he whispered in what I think was supposed to be a teasing manner. My eyes shot wide open. What? Sasuke… wanted… no, not possible. It wasn't at all possible.

My attention was once again captured as he moved from my ear to my neck. His tongue made a lazy pattern down the side out towards my shoulder. I hissed sharply when I felt his teeth against my skin where the shoulder meets the neck. They were slightly pointed and broke the skin easily.

"Sasuke, stop," I found myself shouting as I began to struggle more fervently.

"**He cannot hear you, Naruto-chan. Or even if he can, he is unable to do a thing. Besides, he should be grateful that I'm doing what he wants.**" This made me angry. Sasuke wouldn't do this. Even if he had wanted to, he would have stopped if I said so.

"Sasuke wouldn't force himself on me even if he did want… this," I choked. He just hummed lightly and went back to bruising my neck. I tried to break his grip, but no ninja is a match for demon brute strength.

That's when he made a mistake: he let go of one of my wrists to pull down on the edge of my collar. He didn't seem to realize that he had partially freed me. He was completely engrossed in his work.

I snarled and brought my fist around to hit him for all I was worth. He grunted in pain and rolled off, but I quickly followed, pinning him in turn. I took advantage of the wolf's distraction to pin his arms over his head to prevent escape.

"Sasuke!" I shouted into the face of my best friend. The irregular yellow eyes narrowed.

"**The only way to stop me is to force me, and it won't work! Nothing can raise Sasuke's will above mine! This body belongs to me now!**"

I continued to shout for Sasuke as I wracked my brain for an answer; a solution. Suddenly it hit me. If what the demon said about Sasuke wanting me was true, then this just might work.

I steeled myself momentarily before I gripped his wrists just a little tighter above his tense form. "Fine, Sasuke! If you want this so much, maybe it will wake you up!" I distantly heard the demon growl as my lips crashed down upon my best friends'. I don't know quite what I was doing, but if that's what Sasuke needed, then hell why not?

-

**(A/N: SWITCHING BACK TO SASUKE)**

-

The shock of what was happening through my eyes jolted me back to my consciousness and I could suddenly feel everything again. I felt the demon's anger as he retreated, but I forced myself to the front. I felt Naruto's body atop mine; the heat and also the control he had over me. The feeling was overwhelming.

The heat of his mouth and the sensation of his lips on mine were something I hadn't ever imagined. About anyone. And the dobe was actually getting into it, this kiss developing into something besides what was necessary. It was something I hadn't expected. I tried to fight the hold that Naruto had on my wrists, to get _some_ leverage, but only got it tightened.

"**Why are you not seme?**" The demon hissed somewhere in the back of my mind, apparently giving up.

'I'm… fuck… pinned,' I answered with some difficulty before noting that Naruto had moved his assault of my mouth to my neck and shoulders. His lips were tracing fire down my neck slowly, tauntingly, tormenting. He blew cold air across the wet path his mouth had just left before running his front teeth down it. Oh my- He moved his mouth back to my own, nipping at my bottom lip in the kiss; demanding entrance that I granted a little too quickly. Oh well… I fought for dominance in the impromptu kiss the only way I was able in this position; with my tongue. He moved his mouth back to my neck; biting, licking, and sucking every inch of it before drawing back with a look of horror and realization shining in his blue eyes.

My breath was coming in short, labored pants. I watched him wearily through my slight daze that kiss had put me in. The small space between us was cooling quickly in comparison to that intense heat that had filled it moments before. I wished for Naruto to continue, to keep kissing and touching me, but I was disappointed.

I watched his eyes as they clouded with a cross between guilt, embarrassment, and… regret? He let go of my wrists quickly and slid off. He stumbled a few meters away and sat down heavily.

I just lay there, exactly as he had left me; still aroused, still confused. But I knew I had been rejected. It was the only thought going through my head as I stared blindly at the sky. It wasn't like I had actually told him anything, but it was painfully obvious that he had regretted ever doing anything.

"**I told you that you love him, brat**," growled the demon. I still didn't move, too numb to even internally respond. I distantly noticed Naruto's fidgeting form look at me.

"Uh, Sasuke…" His voice was hesitant and small. "Erm… are you in control?" I nodded slightly. It seemed that all my energy had been stripped away, whether because of the demon or the rejection, I didn't know.

"Sasuke?" he was speaking even more softly now. "I'm sorry." My head shot up to stare at him in disbelief. He wasn't meeting my eyes, instead gazing at his scraped up hands.

"For what?" I asked. I felt a moment of pride that my voice didn't waver. Not too much anyways.

He paused before answering. "For… for doing _that _while the demon had hold of your body. I didn't mean to… force anything on you… but he kept saying things and messing with me. I couldn't think of anything else to jolt you. I just… acted on the moment and my frustration, so… I'm sorry" He bowed his head and his bangs covered his wide, blue eyes. I couldn't believe that Naruto was apologizing for it.

I sat up and balled my hands in to fists in my lap. I gritted my teeth to keep from choking up. "Its okay, Naruto," I ground out. "You did what you had to… to help me… besides," I lowered my tone, not really wanting him to hear. "It's not like I didn't like it."

"What?' He looked up, clearly having heard. I stood up and turned away from him quickly. He began to say something, but I was sure I wouldn't want to hear it. I walked away quickly, attempting to look like I wasn't running away, but failing miserably.

"Yo!"

"I jumped about a foot in the air and stopped dead in my tracks. I distantly heard Naruto get to his feet, but he didn't greet the newcomer like he usually would, so it left me to talk to him, and I _was_ glad to see him.

"Kakashi?" He smiled beneath his mask and chuckle amusedly at my disbelief. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well," he paused thoughtfully, "I got back from my mission a day early, and when I reported to Hokage-sama she told me that It was urgent that I come and see you. She mentioned something about a demon and Sasuke being an unlucky bastard, bit I couldn't get what she was yelling about." He looked from me to Naruto and back again. "Is something wrong? You're both really… tense."

I glanced at Naruto. His face was grave and his blush gone. It didn't show any embarrassment. His body was taught and his hands clenched, and there was no amusement anywhere in his eyes. The only emotion I could discern was anger. Although, once again, I couldn't place where it was directed.

Kakashi was still standing there patiently slouching and awaiting my answer. I explained to my former sensei as precisely and briefly as I could about the demon situation. Of course, I omitted certain details of what had happened after we had arrived at the Uchiha estates. He really didn't need to know about most of that.

He listened patiently enough, his smile disappearing as I continued. "So," he summarized, "You screwed up and want me to fix it."

It was a rude and condescending way to put it, but it was fundamentally true nonetheless, so I nodded. He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his silver hair wearily.

"Fine, Sasuke, but I'll have to redo the whole seal, and it will hurt like hell. Also, there's a chance that your body will reject a second sealing, and I don't know what will happen if it comes to that. Worst case scenario- you die and the demon goes on a nice rampage through Konoha. Best would be that it works like we want it to, and we all live relatively happily ever after… but when has anything ever worked like that?" I listened attentively.

"And what happens if I don't reseal it?"

"You'll probably become a danger to Konoha for harboring an uncontrollable demon. If it ever causes a problem, you may be locked up or something to that affect. Also, you might well go crazy from just having a constantly talking demon in your body."

'Well, isn't that comforting,' I thought cynically.

"I'll give you the night to think on it while I set up the seal, and we can do it tomorrow if that's what you decide. You can stay here with Naruto until then." With that last note, he disappeared in a poof of smoke without even a goodbye.

I glanced once more at Naruto. His posture was exactly the same as the last time I had glanced his way. "Naruto?" my voice came out in the small, timid way again.

His head jerked up and he stared at me, expecting me to continue. He didn't meet my eyes. "Look at me, dammit," I hissed. This was getting ridiculous. It wasn't like him to be so rigid and quiet, and I dint like it; even if the situation was awkward as hell.

His gaze, instead of meeting mine, shifted further away, though it was still in my general direction. "I am, Sasuke," he said, his voice low and emotionless. This made me angry. I felt it course through my veins, and my hands clenched automatically. Had he hated and regretted it that much? The pain in my chest returned, the anger only serving to double it.

"If you don't have anything to say," Naruto continued when I didn't speak, "I'm going back to the house." He walked after me; leaving me to stare unhappily after him. What in the world was going on? Naruto never ignores me like this! I felt as though the world- everything normal- was crumbling around me.

I followed him slowly, my thoughts swirling and spiraling out of control. The only conclusions that I came to was that the demon was right about my feelings for Naruto, and that Naruto did not feel the same. Why else would he be so angry and ignore me?

Naruto walked directly to where we had been meditating the day before. He sat on one of the cushions still resting there and gestured for me to take the other one.

"We're going to work on more barriers, today… after what… happened today, you'll need as many of them as you can get." Naruto said this in a strained, quiet voice before closing his eyes and seemingly slipping into a quiet, meditative state.

I studied Naruto as he meditated. Although his body seemed perfectly relaxed, there was tension in his face. His mouth was in a tense line and a furrow rested on his forehead. I turned my attention to his bright hair, admiring how the light glinted on it and highlighted it. He peeked an eye open at me and a frown slashed across his face.

"Meditate, Sasuke. It's the only way to stay in control: mental stability." He said quietly. I obediently shut my eyes and tried to relax.

I tried, really I did, but my swirling thoughts would not settle. Should I have the demon sealed or take the risk of possible insanity? But foremost in my mind was pondering why Naruto was so angry. I felt fidgety and uncertain, which wasn't like me at all. My treacherous mind relayed the kiss we had shared over and over again. I had like it and wanted more.

"Naruto." My eyes snapped open decisively. I was going to find out if it killed me. "Why are you being so cold to me? Is it because I lost control… because I'm weak, or-"

He cut me off. Well rather, the sudden, intense angry glare did. He met my confused (and slightly fearful) eyes for the first time since the kiss. They blazed brightly.

"I don't like it, Sasuke," he spat, his hands curling into fists.

"**Well that answers a lot**," Rokubi said sarcastically. I hushed him and tried to make sense of the simple statement.

"What?" I said eventually.

"I don't like that you had to seal the damn thing when you could have run to me or Sakura for help. I don't like that you didn't let me help you form the demon seal in the first place. I hate the fact that you are suffering because of that bastard. I hate how he tried to mess with my head, and I hate that I basically forced myself on you to stop it!" His voice had risen to a yell by the end of his rant and I noticed that he was breathing heavily. Blood trickled down his balled fists as his nails dug into his palm.

My mind processed it all slowly, and I stared wide-eyed at my enraged friend. It finally dawned on me: Naruto was angrier at himself than anything. He _had_ mentioned preventing the whole thing before, too.

"B-but Naruto," I choked, "None of that was your fault."

His glower sharpened. "Oh, it's not?" he hissed. "Then who's is it?"

"M-mine… All of it was my choice, not yours. I let my damn pride get in the way by not asking you for help." I swallowed with difficulty. As long as we were sharing inner thoughts, I might as well spill it all. "Erm… he wasn't just messing with you. I-uh... just figured out that I do… you see I… um… do… want… that." My voice was almost inaudible at the end, but, in the silence of the room, it was loud and clear.

-

-**TBC**-

-

**Author's Notes:**

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! CLIFFIE!!!! Ok, I'm sorry to leave you here, but that's just how it is. Just be grateful that I updated at all, because as I have said before, I SUCK at typing and this took me like 3 hours! _almost dies of over-typing-itis_ So, ya, anywho, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! The more reviews I get, the faster I update… I'm going for about 20, before I update the next installment sooooo…. Review! Flames are okay, but nice ones are more appreciated. Sorry that it got a little angsty at the end there!

P.S. - A big thanks to DarkWindingRose who helped me to write one of the kissing scenes! LOTSA HUGS AND KISSES!!!


	5. Decision Making Time

**Author's babble:**

Sorry it took me so long to update. However, I really hope you like this next installment after my evil cliffie last time. evil laughter anywho, read on and enjoy!!!!!!

"**Speech**"- Rokubi no Okami talking.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto… If I did, Sasuke would be making out with Naruto by now.

CHAPTER 4

**Decision-Making Time**

(Sasuke's POV)

I glanced up to gauge his reaction to my admission. His glare had dissipated to a more Naruto-esk look. His eyes were as wide as they could go and his mouth hung slack. There was a heavy dusting of a blush across his nose and he spluttered awkwardly. It would have been funny if my insides weren't twisting nervously.

"Sasuke, you… I mean… If that were true, but I mean… you couldn't possibly… that's just," suddenly he frowned. "You're teasing me aren't you?" he said flatly.

"No!" I blurted, feeling my own face heat up. "I'm telling the truth, dobe. I just… I know you don't think of me that way, but I don't want you to beat yourself up over that… so I just thought I'd… tell you." I watched him as his frown deepened with confusion and indecision. I held my breath for his outburst of rejection, but it didn't come.

"So," Naruto said after a long contemplation. "You love me?"

"Huh?" I said stupidly.

"Well, either you love me, or you're just caught up in some strange, desperate lust," he replied practically. He was giving me an even, open stare as he said this, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

Love or lust? Well, the lust was definitely there, going on my urge to make him kiss me again. But love? I thought back to my past experiences with the blonde boy. To the times we had risked our lives for each other and my own desperation and anger whenever Naruto was seriously injured. I thought on the fact that he was the only one I trusted completely and how warm I had felt as he held my hand on the way back to Konoha after the demon sealing. If all that didn't point to love, I don't know what did.

"Love," I whispered as if I needed to taste the word in my own mouth. "Yeah, I love you." My voice was steadier as I gained certainty and confidence once more.

Naruto still looked at me wearily like he was expecting me to say 'ha, you fell for it!' any minute. "Prove it."

I blinked, "excuse me?" I said, feeling the newfound confidence seep away.

"Prove you love me, Sasuke."

"H-how?"

Naruto tapped his chin in thought. "Kiss me again." His gaze turned from thoughtful to challenging.

"That's all?" I couldn't believe he was making this so easy for me. Well, easy unless he rejected me afterwards, but I was hoping that that didn't happen.

"Sasuke, I know you, and I know that you would never kiss someone just for the sake of a joke, so, if you actually love me, then a willing kiss should prove it," Naruto pointed out logically.

"Oh… okay." He had a point there. I rose to my knees and scooted the foot or two forewords to where he sat. He looked up at me expectantly, arms still crossed. I felt my shyness return and my blush spread. "Uh… could you close your eyes?" I asked once I was right in front of him.

"No," he answered easily.

"Why not?"

Naruto shrugged. "I guess I want to watch you." I gulped down the sudden nervous laughter that threatened to escape my throat.

I slowly leaned forewords and placed my hands on either side of his crossed legs, bringing my body closer to his. He didn't move or even blink. I suppose he expected me to chicken out, but I had to prove it to him _now_. I tilted my head towards his and at the moment our lips met, my eyes slid shut.

His lips were just as soft as before, but this kiss was gentle, not a rough wake-up call. It was simple, nothing but a meeting of the lips, but it communicated a lot. I pulled a hairs-width away, before kissing him again. His mouth parted slightly, but I didn't indulge myself further, not when I didn't know if he actually wanted it or not.

I pulled back slowly, willing my eyes open to look at him. Naruto's eyes were still open, but they were half lidded and relaxed.

"Well…" I said, but trailed off.

"Hey," said Naruto, eyes snapping out of their daze. "Why did you stop?"

"Well… you… haven't even told me if you liked it… or whatever," I said.

"Sasuke," Naruto dead-panned. "I liked kissing you even when the demon was in control. I had to remind myself that it wasn't you and that you would hate me for enjoying it."

"B-but-"

"I know, I know," he said, waving a hand in dismissal. "But remember, Sasuke, this was before I knew you felt the same."

"So you… love me back?" I couldn't believe it. "Naruto," I growled suddenly, "if you are messing with me-"

"God, Sasuke! I'm not messing with you, just like you aren't messing with me! Now shut up so I can get back to kissing you, ne?" The bright smile on his face was enough to convince me and I eagerly caught him up in another kiss. It was more playful than the last tentative one. Now that I knew where we both stood, I was eager to see if my kissing skills were as good as the fangirls said they would be. (Fangirls don't exactly fantasize quietly.)

Naruto seemed all too eager to accept and return my kiss. He was soon sighing contentedly as we deepened the kiss lightly. I moaned softly and he nipped my lower lip gently. It wasn't like the first kiss at all. It was all gentle and playful. He slid his tongue into my mouth slowly, leaning forewords to take over. I didn't mind him being dominant at the moment.

My world suddenly spun unpleasantly as something jolted behind my eyes. I groaned in pain and shot back. The absence of his mouth made mine feel cold, but it was a distant feeling as I sat down and rubbed a hand over my forehead.

"Sasuke?" I looked up. Naruto sat looking thoroughly confused and somewhat flushed. "I'm sorry, did I-" I cut him off with the raise of a hand.

"No, not you. This damn demon doesn't seem to like me kissing you… actually… I think its real problem is that I'm being so… uh…" I couldn't admit it out loud, because I knew it was true.

"So what?" Naruto asked. He didn't look worried anymore, just perplexed.

"So…" My voice dropped noticeably as my embarrassment grew. "Uke…"

Naruto stared at my hunched form. I knew I was blushing, and I wasn't in the mood for Naruto to see and poke fun. That is, after he made fun of me for admitting to being submissive.

Suddenly he grinned broadly. "You're so cut like that, Sasuke!" My head snapped up so fast it hurt.

"What did you just call me, dobe?" I growled, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Ah, whatever teme," he grinned, falling back into old habits. "I bet you like being uke! Admit it!" I seethed silently. I did not mind him being dominant (hell, I loved it), but that didn't mean I had to admit it.

"So…" Naruto said decisively, "kissing me is okay as long as I'm the uke, correct?" I sighed and for once listened to Rokubi's answer. After hearing it, I sighed wearily.

"No… he doesn't like you because you brought me back in control." Naruto copied my sigh and stood up.

"I'm gonna go cool off, you meditate." He waltzed off like nothing was out of the ordinary. I just sighed again; relieved somewhat that Naruto was back to his usual carefree self. It was comforting even though it may be a mask.

I sat back down on my pillow properly. With a bit of difficulty I dragged the problem at hand past my thoughts of Naruto. Should I have Kakashi fix the seal or not? My previous thoughts of Naruto burst in and answered 'yes' right away. That part of me wanted to kiss Naruto without demon obstacles. Another part warned me not to risk it. There was too much at stake to risk the seal not taking and ending up dead with a rampant demon. However, I didn't want to be a burden to the whole village for harboring an unstable demon with an insatiable thirst for blood. Besides, there was my personal sanity as well.

'Hmm…' I thought tiredly. 'The pros of resealing definitely outweigh the cons. First, I get Naruto. Second, I keep my sanity a bit longer. Third, no constant threat to the village… hmm… on the other hand, the cons are death and collateral damage. What to do…' these thoughts chased themselves around in my head for a good portion of the evening. I only came out of it when Naruto presented me with a ramen-less (wow, I didn't know he could cook anything else) meal.

We discussed my decision all through the meal. It was pretty obvious what I had to do, it was becoming sure of this decision that I was having trouble with. But finally, we went to bed; plan of action finally decided on.

**NARUSASUNARUSASUNARUSASU**

The next morning, I woke to the startling sight of Kakashi about a foot from my face.

"Yo," he whispered. Only my skills as a ninja stopped me from squealing- er, shouting- out loud. I was about to reply scathingly, but he held a hand up to silence me. I raised my eyebrow and he pointed next to me.

Naruto was lying there sound asleep, snuggled up to my side. Ah, so that's why I was so comfortable.

"Naruto," I said softly, nudging his shoulder lightly. He grumbled and buried his face further into my neck. His breath across my neck was making it hard to think. "N-Naruto!" I said louder, accompanied by a harder nudge. I glanced up at Kakashi who was crouching at the foot of my bed. I could tell he was grinning underneath that mask.

"Mah… What is it, teme?" Naruto's head came up and he blinked at me blearily. If I weren't an Uchiha, I'd say he was cute. Sadly, I am, so I couldn't gush at his messy hair and sleepy blue eyes like a normal person could. Uchihas do _not _gush. But I had to admit, the whole picture looked… sweet.

"Naruto," I repeated, stealing my voice and controlling my facial features. This was no time to be contemplating Naruto's overall cuteness with Kakashi watching. "Get up. Kakashi is here, and we need to tell him what we decided."

"We?" I heard Kakashi muse quietly. I ignored him as Naruto disentangled his limbs from mine. After almost falling out of the bed, he stood up and stretched luxuriously. I glanced at him, discreetly admiring the stretch. When I caught sight of his seal, a thought struck me.

"Naruto," I said slowly. "Where the heck has Kyuubi been this whole time?" I hadn't notice Naruto talk to him once since they had arrived at the Uchiha estate.

"Ya know," he said, slightly surprised, "I have no idea. Hold on, I'll ask." Naruto's eyes slipped into that dazed expression they always had when he and the fox demon spoke. Suddenly he snapped out of it with a ferocious scowl. "That damn fuzz ball says that he knew I could handle it and was only gonna interfere if I was in real trouble." His scowl turned into a pout. "Dumb, useless ball of fluff. He could have helped when a demon was attacking me, but noooo!" To say the very least, it was rather amusing to hear the Kyuubi no Kitsune referred to as a 'fuzz ball', but I knew that wasn't really important at the time.

"Alright, Kakashi," I said to the grinning jounin, effectively cutting off Naruto's continued ranting. "Give us a minute to get dressed, and then we'll meet you at the Hokage tower. It's about time we resealed this bastard." Kakashi's smile flitted away immediately.

"You sure about this, Sasuke?" he asked gravely. I nodded. "Alright then, I'll gather some jounin to have on stand-by in case the demon gets out of hand."

"Oi, Kakashi," Naruto called from his place by my dresser. "I have a seal we can use if the demon gets out, but it will take a lot of charka to activate it, and I can't do it."

Kakashi nodded. "So how many jounin do you think you'll need?" The blonde worried his lower lip in thought.

"Well… it would take a lot of Kyuu's and my charka to complete it, but we can't because we have demon blood… hmm… I'd say about four or five jounin will do the trick," he said thoughtfully.

Four or five? What exactly did this seal do? Kakashi just nodded and disappeared in a poof of smoke. I watched as Naruto picked through my clothes until he found something that fit. It was a long black turtle-neck and midnight blue shorts. I had never really realized how much broader Naruto's chest was until I saw it stretching the material of my turtle-neck.

"Darn, Teme," he grumbled playfully, "don't you own anything other than black, blue, or white?" I smiled slightly in return.

"Not if I can help it." I dressed quickly in my standard ninja uniform, and stood patiently to wait for Naruto to finish adjusting his hitai-ate. "Ready?"

Naruto flashed me a bright smile, but I didn't miss the worry in his bright blue eyes. "I'm always ready, teme." I nodded and we both teleported to the hokage tower.

Kakashi was waiting for us along with Asuma, Anko, Kurenai, Gai, and Tsunade herself. They all looked grim and had obviously been briefed on the situation. As soon as I caught sight of Tsunade, Rokubi began thrashing around his cage. I shut my eyes to block her out somewhat and took deep breaths.

"**I know you're planning to seal me away**," he muttered, "**Can't you just let me kill that one first?**"

'No,' I replied shortly. I felt Naruto grab my hand and start tugging me toward the tower.

"Hey Sasuke, you okay?" I nodded quickly, fighting the nausea that the demon was suddenly sending me. "Hmm… Tsunade-baa-chan says that there's a cavern under the hokage tower especially for sealing and such. It has really good barriers that are already active, so we won't have to waste charka with that." I nodded to show I had heard and tightened my grip on his hand.

I couldn't see where we were going, but I could feel charka sliding over my skin like cobwebs, and the air was getting steadily colder as we traveled down a staircase. I shivered slightly and tried to focus only on the warmth of Naruto's hand. I could almost feel the concern radiating off of him.

"I feel sick," I muttered for Naruto's ears only. I was only slightly embarrassed when I felt him put a comforting hand around my shoulders.

"It's okay," he whispered back. "We're almost there." Seconds later, the floor evened out and I knew we had arrived.

I opened my eyes just enough to see the room we had entered. It wasn't much more than an enormous cave with support pillars. The walls were damp-looking and a steady dripping noise echoed around the space. In the center was a large, ornate circle that I recognized to be an elaborate sealing or barrier jutsu. The charka saturated into the walls was almost overwhelming. The place really might hold a demon.

"Well, we're here." I heard Kakashi pipe up with false cheer. The others didn't make a sound, not even attempting to hide their nervous tension.

"Into the circle you go," Naruto said jovially. He gave me a little nudge foreword, and I walked slowly to the center of the circle. Kakashi followed and told me to kneel when I had reached the middle. I obeyed and watched with only mild interest as he began to quickly paint complicated symbols and kanji around me. The design filled the circle completely before he turned back to me. He grabbed one of my hands and began to paint on that as well.

"Sasuke, I need you to strip down to your underwear so I can write on you." I nodded and did as I was told. This was sort of like when I had the curse mark sealed, so I knew a little of what to expect.

He tossed my clothes outside the circle and resumed writing on me. I tried not to squirm too much as the cold brush danced over sensitive spots on my arms, back, and around the seal.

Finally, he stepped back and went over all his work with a sure eye. I sat absolutely still. He nodded and stepped out of the circle briefly to talk to the others, and then he stepped back in. He knelt in front of me, and I saw him gather charka in his right hand. He put his left hand on my shoulder to brace me and raised the other one, charka glowing around it.

"Ready?" he asked, hand hovering a foot away.

"Yes."

"Alright." His hand came down quickly and plunged it strait into the seal. Instantly, color exploded in front of my eyes and involuntarily shouted in pain. I felt distantly the kanji activate with charka and climb towards Kakashi's hand to bury itself into my stomach. It hurt. Oh Kami-sama, did it hurt. I could feel tears streaming down my cheeks and all pride was forgotten in the searing pain. Kakashi was saying something, but I couldn't hear it properly. All I could hear was a wolf howling and screaming. My eyes widened as I felt the same overwhelming feeling I had with Naruto when we sparred. I knew Rokubi no Okami was about to take over.

"Kakashi," I hissed, trying desperately to form coherent speech. His eyes snapped from the seal up to my face when he heard me stop screaming. "I'm… not… okay," I choked out before a familiar falling feeling took me and Kakashi's eyes faded away.

I fell faster and more violently this time to that dark space. The mist was still there, showing me what my eyes saw, but this time everything was warped and red. I could feel the demon's anger and bloodlust vibrating all around me. I couldn't move; I could barely even breathe. The only hope I had for surviving was the jounin outside.

That was the only hope of surviving anyone in Konoha had.

TBC….

**Author's Notes:**

Okay, did you like it?!?!?! Well, if not, leave a review and tell me what I did badly. If so, leave me a review and tell me what you liked. (Get the point?) Flames are okay, as always. HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!!!


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